30Mar17

In letter to Mattis, lawmaker and former JAG demands answers on civilian casualties

In a sign of mounting concern over civilian deaths, a U.S. lawmaker sent a letter this week to Defense
Secretary Jim Mattis requesting details on how the Trump administration is waging its air campaign
against the Islamic State.

The letter from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), a former Air Force lawyer and member of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, comes as military officials defend the conduct of their ongoing operation in Iraq
and Syria amid a surge in reported casualties linked to U.S. strikes. The incidents, which include an
alleged strike on a mosque in Syria and the bombing of a building apparently packed with civilians in
the Iraqi city of Mosul, have raised questions about how the new administration will move forward
with what it has said will be a more aggressive approach to counterterrorism.

While U.S. Central Command says its assessments have concluded that about 220 civilians have been
killed in thousands of U.S. strikes since 2014, activists say the number is much higher. Airwars, a
British-based group that tracks events in the air war, says that about 1,000 deaths have been alleged
in March alone in Iraq and Syria. Airwars is one of a number of civil society groups that has pressed
the U.S. military to review its procedures in light of the recent reports.

In his letter, Lieu drew attention to comments that President Trump made in the run-up to his
election, including his assertion that the United States should "take out" militants' families and "bomb
the s–" out of the Islamic State.

"The substantial increases in civilian deaths caused by U.S. military force in Syria and Iraq brings into
question whether the Trump administration is violating the Law of War," he said. "The large number
of civilian casualties also suggests a possible breakdown in target selection, intelligence gathering,
and operational execution."

Other lawmakers have voiced concerns about the reported increase. On Wednesday, Gen. Joseph
Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command (Centcom), told members of the House Armed Services
Committee that officials under his command were now authorized to approve strikes at a lower level
than they had been in the past but that he remained confident about the safeguards in place.

Military officials have said the intensity of the operations against the militant group, which is
defending itself in the densely populated western area of Mosul and preparing for a final battle in the
Syrian city of Raqqa, may have contributed to the reports of increased casualties.

Addressing Mattis, a veteran combat commander and former Centcom boss himself, Lieu requested
answers to detailed questions about how the campaign is being conducted. He asked for an overview
of how military lawyers review targets before they are hit and whether those lawyers'
recommendations have been overruled at any point. He also asked Mattis to detail how intelligence
provided by Iraqi or Syrian partners is cross-checked to avoid fatal mistakes.

"I am deeply concerned that the death of innocent children and women from U.S. airstrikes sets us
back strategically, makes it more difficult to secure peace, and increases terrorist recruitment," he
said.

Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department would review and respond to
the letter.

[Source: By Missy Ryan, The Washington Post, 30Mar17]

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